DrawMaster's Rules of Thumb for Live Chess
(Personal opinion below, and does not necessarily represent the views of chess.com management or anyone else with authority or insight.)
OK, I've been around here long enough to have assayed the lay of the land, at least in Live Chess. Notwithstanding a few rude bozos who show up from time to time, the community in Live Chess is a great asset to chess.com in my view. And, the chess is fun as well. Reflecting on my many months in Live Chess, I've put together a few rules that - if followed - will make one's experience a really enjoyable one. I call these DrawMaster's Rules for Live Chess:
Rule #1: Don't create or feed drama threads.
Life is too short to hold grudges, especially against people you've never seen before. So, if someone ticks you off, or is rude, or offends you, just drop it and move on. (Of course, serious abuse should be reported.)
Rules #2: Abide by Staff and Helper requests; do not take them on.
These folk are here to help you and create the atmosphere that management wants and can legitimately demand of those that sign on to enjoy site benefits. True, Staff get paid to do what they do ... but being rude to the hired help isn't adult behavior anyway. And YOU WILL LOSE the battle. Helpers (i.e., moderators or mods) are volunteers. So, kicking Helpers in the face is immature behavior as well. Your experience here will be far more pleasant if you treat these folk as you'd like to be treated.
Rule #3: If your time is valuable, don't play long standard games against players you don't already know.
For one reason or the other, there are those players who do not know or practice chess courtesy, and decide to let the clock run out on long games with many minutes left to play - all because they're losing or have lost interest or don't know better. The better choice is to avoid the inconvenience posed their behavior by avoiding committal to such time controls. Once you know a player here, playing slow time control (i.e., STC) games can be a delightful and profitable (from a learning perspective) experience.
Sub-rule A: Whatever time control you do choose to play, do not complain when your opponent chooses to use all of her/his time to play out the game. (Submitted by Reyth.)
Rule #4: Don't expect everything for nothing here (or anywhere, for that matter).
If you're a basic member, you've invested only your time here. Recognize this before you complain irrationally about features you don't get or don't like. Sure, management is interested in your ideas, but it has invested its hard-earned money into this enterprise to make a valid business venture out of it. Just because this is the Internet doesn't mean that we're entitled to everything for free all the time. That's a myth. Nothing is free; someone is paying for it. Basic members pay through exposure to advertising; premium members pay with their money. So, let's all be mature about this. And learn some good business lessons at the same time.
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OK, I'll add to this list as my thoughts coalesce on the subject. If you have ideas for rules, comment here - I might add 'em.
Have a great day ... and enjoy chess.com Live Chess
